‘Social workers facing same difficulties they are managing in their caseloads’

Increasing numbers of social workers are turning to charity for help because of domestic abuse, coercive control and ‘poor living conditions’.

Reflecting as she steps down after ten years as co-chair of the Social Workers Benevolent Trust, Su Roxburgh said the nature and volume of calls for help has changed in recent years.

Applications have risen nearly fourfold from 25 to 90 per bi-monthly meeting, putting pressure on the trust as income has not risen at the same rate.

The most common causes for applications, according to Roxburgh, are: “Domestic abuse, including coercive control, often leading to poor living conditions caused by the need to move out of the abusive situation; low income having changed from two incomes to one; and mental ill health caused by all these factors.”

Roxburgh expressed concern about the effects of poverty on social workers’ families, adding: “The level of debt that some of the applicant families face must increase risks to the children in those families as they are clearly living in poverty, which, as social workers, we know can exacerbate and cause trauma; and increase the risks of many types of harm to all the family members.”

PSW has previously revealed how social workers are struggling with the cost of living crisis, leading to an increase in applications to the SWBT.

The charity awarded grants to 381 applicants paying out £87,000 between 2023 and 2024 compared to 174 grants paying out £72,930 in the previous year.

Fellow trustee Robert Pook has also observed a rise in grant applications from neurodivergent social workers: “Prior to the pandemic we saw fewer practitioners themselves identifying as neurodivergent, with issues more about the children and relatives for whom they were caring.

“There appears to have been an upsurge of requests for an undertaking of assessments for autism/ASD among working women. 

“Historically, this may reflect the under-representation of women – perhaps a hidden minority – and it is argued that an identification of autism/ASD can open a door of understanding both for the individual, their family and, importantly, the employer in respect of disability legislation responsibilities and the requirement to make reasonable adjustments for the employee in respect of service conditions.”

Sudden illness in the family which means social workers have to stop working is another common reason for applications, especially among agency workers.

The trust has also helped social workers who are so heavily in debt that they have to file for bankruptcy.

Roxburgh added: “Some social workers themselves are facing the kinds of difficulties that they are managing in their caseloads on a day-to-day basis.”

The SWBT is the only UK charity dedicated to providing financial support to social workers experiencing hardship. It offers grants of between £350 and £500 to assist with the purchase of household goods or car repairs.

Data from last year shows most applicants – 73 per cent – were in employment.